Under Logical Circumstances
by TheonlyFanTazy
Summary: After the recovery of Captain James T Kirk, the Enterprise and her crew set out on a five-year mission. Between exploring uncharted planets and discovering new forms of life, it seems tensions build from within the crew. With every close-call and danger-filled mission, will the captain and his first officer forever be at opposite pulls? Or will they kiss and make up?
1. Chapter 1

**This is just basically a written account of Kirk's death scene in Into Darkness. It does have a meaning in the story (it's not like I wrote it solely for the purpose of emphasising the closeness between Kirk and Spock and to rekindle my feels for this scene! Hahahahaha...haha...ha...) I tried to keep it as accurate to the film as possible, but there may be a few little differences (Sorry about that!)**

The intercom switched on before Spock could release the tension he so desperately tried to hide.

"Engine room to bridge, do you read me Mr Spock?" It was Scotty.

Upon hearing his voice, Spock's attention veered away from the crew and to the voice over intercom. "Mr Scott."

A shivered inhale from Scotty could be heard through the transmission. "I think you should get down here. And you better hurry."  
Those words had Spock's heart stop. What happened? Did something go wrong? Where is...

Before his mind could conjure up any worst-case scenarios, Spock made a run for the engine room. He brushed passed a heavily concerned Nyota as she noticed a flicker of fear on her usually emotionless boyfriend.

Khan had been shot down. The Captain was returned to the ship. The power was back on. What had Scotty's voice so shaken up?

Spock hurried towards Scotty who stood there near the warp core chamber. His face was still.

Spock placed a hand on his shoulder, catching his breath from sprinting his way into the room. His eyes seemed to show emotion where his voice did not.

The head engineer only shook his head as his eyes looked away from Spock's.

Without saying a word, Spock knew what had happened, although he didn't want to believe it.

His body suddenly moved towards the chamber almost automatically as if his actions weren't his own. Thoughts running through his mind clouded his ideals and concepts as his heart pounded in his chest.

As the chamber door came into view, so did a figure from within struggling to crawl towards the door.  
It was Jim Kirk.

Spock's face paled as he watched his Captain strain to reach up for the switch to close the door behind him.

Spock looked back to Scotty. "Open it," he demanded.

"The decontamination process is not complete; you'd flood the whole compartment. The door's locked, sir."  
Spock fully understood that. In fact, he should have understood before Scotty explained it. But his mind seemed to be only focused on his Captain than any form of logic.

He knelt down to level with the man lying against the glass door on the other side. His painful panting could be heard and his poisoned body was apparent.

When he noticed his commander there, a faint look of relief showed on his exhausted face. "How's our ship?" he managed to release the words from his irradiated lungs.

Spock nodded, struggling to swallow his heart back down his throat. "Out of danger. You saved the crew." With his words whispered only for Kirk to hear, he struggled a corner smile of reassurance.

"You used what he wanted against him," Kirk smiled. "That's a nice move."

Spock shuffled closer to the door. "It was what you would have done."

Kirk managed to escape a weak laugh as he rested his head against the door, still keeping his eyes on Spock who did the same. "And this…This is what you would have done. It was only logical."

The two shared a silent laugh as a pause passed between them.

"I'm scared, Spock."

Spock's eyes looked deeper into Kirk's as those words filled him with a sensation he tried to always avoid.

"Help me not be."

Spock's facade wavered.

"How do you choose not to feel?"

Spock remained fixated on his eyes. "I do not know... Right now I am failing." His eyes suddenly well up as his voice finally cracks.

Noticing the half-Vulcan in front of him – he who showed no emotion suddenly break in front of him – Jim felt something strange inside of him.

The Captain inhaled as much air as his lungs would allow, which wasn't much. "I want you to know why I couldn't let you die. Why I went back for you."

Spock knew the answer without having to hear it for himself. He always knew. It was just he was afraid to admit it; admit the fact he cared, that he felt. "Because you are my friend." A single tear trickled down his left cheek as speaking those simple words only made the feeling stronger and harder to burden.

The two men shared a connecting smile as the stillness of the room and the ship made the moment seem to last for hours. Kirk, barely able to do anything other than see, used the last of his physical strength to slowly and delicately raise his hand up and press his palm to the glass door.

Without missing a beat, Spock raised a Vulcan salute and pressed it against the glass over his captain's frail hand.

Kirk on the other side struggled to reposition his fingers to mimic the salute given to him by his comrade, who had no intention of leaving his side.

For that split moment the two were on equal footing; the same emotion with no attempts to hide any weakness; the same mind track with no opposite ideals or logic; and the same final goodbye.

Kirk's hand slipped off the glass. His eyes lifeless. His lungs empty.

An agonising emotion appeared in Spock's eyes.

Where was the man he had stood by through everything? Where was the man who was so stubborn and proud? Where was his Captain?

Spock felt the mixed emotions fill his heart. Anger, fear, sadness, desperation. Jim Kirk - the one man who was always on the other end of ideals and would never listen or agree with Spock - dead. All he could do was scream…


	2. The Man Trap Part I

**I'll mention this now whilst I remember. Hopefully all of the information is accurate to the extent I am using. If not, please let me know and I'll change it! Remembering every little detail when I have only just got into Star Trek is quite tasking, to say the least...**

"Commander Spock," a meek and distinguishable voice calls into the cabin quarters.

Spock adjusts his sleeves and turns around to see the door to his room ajar. A thin man stands peering in from the gap with a simplistic look. It is Chekov.

He points to the left. "You're wanted in the bridge, sir," he mumbles with his Russian accent seeping through his words.

Spock nods quietly before leaving his quarters and turns to see Chekov head in the other direction to the engine room.

The first officer heads to the bridge without any question.

Waiting for him, is Sulu and McCoy standing with unamused expressions on their faces. "Is there something of concern?" he asks holding a still face.

Sulu and the doctor look at one-another before Sulu speaks up.

"He's being insubordinate again."

McCoy raises his hand holding a piece of medical equipment. "He's due for a check-up and won't let me near him!"

"He has always been noncompliant regarding his medical examinations, Doctor," Spock deducts. "I expected you to be accustomed to his defiance after so long."

McCoy raises an eyebrow at Spock's words and turns to face the interior of the bridge. "This time's different."

Spock looks at the Doctor before making his way to the unruly patient of his. He stands to the side with a small frown. "I urge you to allow Doctor McCoy examine your physical and mental stabilities, whether you wish for him to do so or not, Captain."

A nonchalant hand rises from the Captain's seat and begins to sway from side-to-side. "You're siding with Bones, Spock? I'm fine; I don't need another stupid check-up just to tell others that I'm not lying!"

"But, sir-"

"Spock," the Captain's voice suddenly snaps and he pushes himself out of his chair to face the Commander. "I don't need a check-up," he speaks slowly and clearly. "It's been almost 2 years since what happened. If I started having problems, it would have been way before now. Besides, that serum removed any and all traces of radiation from my body."

"Captain, I still greatly advise for you to-"

"Come on, Jim, it's not like I'm taking any urine samples," McCoy interrupts and steps forward to stand eye-level with the Captain. "Don't just think the incident from two years past is the only thing I'll be checking over." He quickly points out the window. "We are in an uncharted space sector. Who knows what you could contract!"

Jim steps forward and throws his arm to his side. "Well why isn't anybody else getting checked? Why is it only me!?"

Spock leans forward slightly. "Captain, the rest of the crew received their medical examinations the previous day. You were too enthralled with that reconnaissance mission with Chekov and myself to have the time."

"So how come _you _don't need a check up, huh? If that's the case, why aren't they bugging you?"

Spock retains his posture to his captain's tantrum. "Because I received my medical examination ten hours previously. I was the final examination that day."

Kirk gives him a slow nod. "Okay, so what about Chekov?"

"Sir, I finished examining him just before your check-up."

The look of disobedience on Captain Kirk's face falls as he realises it is only rotten luck that he is the last one.

He scratches his head before throwing both his hands in front of him and returning to his seat. "Fine, whatever! Just get it over with, already."

Finally defeated, Kirk sits still whilst McCoy sets up his medical equipment. Spock watches from where he is standing as his Captain taps his foot nervously.

"Sir, we have a reading!" Sulu's voice calls to Kirk who immediately draws his attention to the lieutenant. "Humanoid life-form located on a nearby planet."

Kirk leans forward in his seat, unable to stand up due to McCoy's persistence in the medical check. "Can you identify them?"

Sulu rapidly pushes buttons, but comes up empty-handed. "No, sir. The readings can't determine their identity. The signal must be too weak."

"Too weak?" Kirk tries to push McCoy off him, however he is too persistent to continue with his duties to give in. "How can it be too weak?"

Sulu leans back in his seat as Spock makes his way towards him and checks the readings for himself. He turns to face Kirk who remains in his seat. "Captain, the only logical conclusion is that the life-form is of singular genes."

Kirk's eyes widen. "What, only one? Were the others wiped out?"

As he announces this, McCoy takes his medical equipment away from Kirk and steps away to allow the captain to instantly jump on his feet and head to where Spock is standing looking over Sulu's shoulder.

He rests his arm on the back of Sulu's chair and focuses on the monitor in front of him.

Spock faces Sulu. "Are you able to specify the life-form's direct location?"

The lieutenant rapidly starts pushing buttons yet again. "I can narrow the search-area, however I'm having some difficulty in finding its exact location…"

Kirk raises his head. "How can that be? Are the sensors damaged?"

Spock looks to his captain. "Captain, might I suggest speaking to Mr Scott in the engine room?"

Kirk nods in understanding. "Patch us in with engine room, Sulu."

"Got it."

After a moment of waiting, Sulu gets the telecom working.

"Bridge to engine room, this is your captain speaking," Kirk starts with a serious expression set on his face. "Scotty, you there?"

"Yes captain, what is it?" Scotty on the other end replies almost instantly.

"Scotty, is there any problems with the ship's external sensors? We can't seem to get an accurate reading." As Kirk speaks, Scotty hurriedly checks his PADD and locates the ship's real-time schematics.

"Hold on a sec, Captain…" He quickly locates the sensors on the ship via his PADD and observes them close and thoroughly. Scotty reads through the specifications rushing onto the screen. "The external over-ride caps are still in check… Orbital monitor lenses fine…" As he continues to mumble through each and every part of the sensors, the engineer shakes his head. "I can't see any problems, sir. It's all in working order."

Kirk pushes himself away from Sulu's seat and heads back to his seat. "That doesn't make any sense…"

Spock turns to Sulu and checks the monitor with close eyes. "Is it a 100% positive identification of a humanoid life-form?"

Sulu shakes his head. "Only 97%, Commander." The Lieutenant tries to search the ship's database. "It's possible this life-form hasn't been discovered yet," he explains quickly. "Without information of the specified life-form, the sensors can't identify their direct location."

Spock turns to look at Kirk sitting in his seat stroking his chin in thought. "Captain, we should send down a team there to assess the situation and get information regarding this unidentified humanoid species."

"Alright. Uhura, Bones and I will—"

"Oh no you don't captain," McCoy interrupts Kirk. He approaches the captain and waves his PADD in front of him. "You're not in tip-top shape. We can't afford you to get ill."

Spock looks towards his captain with faint worry in his eyes as Kirk's expression seems to hold very little concern.

McCoy points to a chart on his PADD and shows it to Kirk. "Your sodium levels are low, sir. If you get severe hyponatremia, there could be complications. I suggest you take this and stay in the ship." McCoy holds out a small gel tablet and hands it to Jim.

His eyes look at the pill in his hand and frowns. "What is this, Bones; a horse tablet?"

"Just take it, Jim," McCoy replies suddenly, not taking any crap from Kirk.

Kirk mutters to himself before looking around the bridge. "Alright, fine…" He points to Spock. "Spock, you go in my stead."

Spock turns to face his captain. "Certainly, Captain."

Kirk leans back in his seat with a slight look of disappointment. "Alright, take us down there," he commands the bridge.

"Yes'sir," Sulu announces before inputting coordinates. "Next stop; Planet M-113."


	3. The Man Trap Part II

It takes mere seconds for Nyota, McCoy and Spock to materialise on M-113. As soon as they feel their bodies have stabilised, Spock patches in to The Enterprise via Personal Reciever.

"Spock, can you read me?" Kirk's voice asks on the other end.

"Affirmative, captain."

McCoy and Nyota look around to find the area barren and lifeless with only a few unusual plants and grasses dotted here and there. The ground is dry and sandy.

McCoy takes out a piece of equipment and scans the atmosphere around him. He laughs to himself. "Well it certainly was a good thing the captain didn't come here; the moisture content of this planet is way below average," he explains as he notices the 5% flashing on his scanner screen.

Nyota kneels to the ground and scoops up a handful of sand watching it seep between her fingers and to the ground. "A sole survivor living in these conditions? It seems questionable."

"Any sign of the life-form, Spock?" Kirk asks his first officer.

Spock looks around the area to see red sand spanning for miles in every direction. He soon sets his eyes in a direction and answers his captain. "Negative, captain. However I can visualise the remnants of a construct."

Kirk rests a hand on his chin as he watches from the Enterprise. "A ruin?"

"Affirmative," Spock replies.

"There certainly are signs of there once being life here, sir," McCoy adds.

He looks towards a brick of stone covered in unnatural carvings and designs and touches his fingertips against the indentations. "These life-forms must have been well-adapted in order to survive under these conditions…" He takes out a container and gathers different samples of soil and plantation before sealing the containers and placing them safely in the medical kit he had taken along.

"We must be wary," Nyota announces to the two men. "For some reason, I have a bad feeling about this."

Kirk listens from the Enterprise. "Keep your guards up at all times. You never know what could be on that planet."

Spock raises the receiver to his face. "Aye, Captain. I will report to you if we find anything extraordinary."

He ends the communication and looks towards the ruins. "Perhaps this building could provide information of the unknown life-form," he states before cautiously making his way towards the stone ruin ahead of him.

Nyota follows him closely whilst McCoy continues to inspect the atmosphere's construct. "I'll catch up with you; I still want to analyse the environment for a bit and see if I can figure out why this place is so desolate."

Spock and Nyota head into the ruins leaving the doctor behind on his own. The pair carefully approaches the building and step into the open gap to the interior.

Inside, it seems dark and stuffy, however surprisingly cooler than the exterior. The thick stone blocks making the basic shape of the building seem to act as good insulators from the heat usually apparent outside.

Nyota begins to wander on her own through the building as Spock checks out his surroundings. The communication officer stops at a small stone shelf suspended off the ground.

On its surface is a small statuette of what looks to be a winged creature carved from the same stone the building is built from. She touches the carved stone figure and traces the grooves on its face. "Looks like the inhabitants of this place enjoyed renaissance décor," she comments as her half-Vulcan lover looks elsewhere in the building.

He walks through the small rooms connecting to one-another, yet finds no sign of life. "Indeed, humanoid life-forms must have occupied this stone structure in times once prosper. Yet it seems their dwelling grew inadequate, therefore relocated elsewhere…"

As the two continue to search for clues, McCoy finalises his analysis and readies to join Nyota and Spock inside the ruin.

"Leonard?"

McCoy suddenly freezes.

"Leonard McCoy?"

McCoy turns around to see a woman standing there. Her green skin and red hair defined her as an Orion.

The doctor is somehow stuck in a trance as he gazes into the woman's eyes. "Y-you know my name? How?"

The Orion woman smiles and releases a petite laugh. "What, you don't remember me? I was—"

McCoy suddenly snaps out of it as he watches the woman suddenly collapse on the ground. "Hey!" He calls to her before rushing to her side and supporting her head on his arm. "Are you alright? Respond!" He tries to shake her awake, but she refuses to open her eyes.

Out of concern over her life and minor panic, he takes out his handheld Communicator. "McCoy to Bridge, do you read?" He waits impatiently for a reply.

"We read you, Bones," Kirk replies. "What's your report?"

"Sir, requesting to aboard the ship."

Kirk looks at the other crew in the bridge with concern on his face before leaning forward in his seat. "Has something happened? Where's Uhura and Spock?"

"They're both investigating the ruin, sir," he explains. "I also request for a patient to have beamed up with me."

"A patient? What do you mean a patient?"

McCoy looks down at the unconscious Orion. "The life-form detected by the scanners. I think I've found her."


End file.
